Protective phone case with integrated card holder and strap and method of use thereof

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a resilient protective case for mobile devices having shock resistant properties and a fully integrated card holder for storing one or more cards and a finger strap for securing the encased phone to a user&#39;s finger while talking on the phone or taking “selfies”. In particular, the protective case includes a back support member disposed on the unitary body, an outer frame member disposed along an outer portion of the back support member, a card holder formed along a portion of the back support member, and a finger strap coupling a first end portion of the card holder to a second end portion of the card holder.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Non-provisional application Ser. No. 17/409,070 filed Aug. 23, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to a resilient protective case for encasing and protecting a mobile phone device. In particular, the protective case includes a body having shock resistant properties and a fully integrated card holder for storing one or more cards and a finger strap for securing the encased phone to a user's finger while talking on the phone or taking “selfies”.

BACKGROUND

Protective cases provide an external cover that attach to an outer body of mobile computer devices, protecting these devices from damage caused by accidently dropping or directly impacting the surface of these devices.

Some conventional protective cases include molded shells, outer coverings, or sleeves which are designed to fully encase the device, being constructed from materials such as a cloth, foam, rubber, leather, or plastic. In addition, some of these cases are designed and manufactured to be waterproof, lightweight, and shock resistant, allowing users to easily secure, store, and transport these mobile device.

Though most if not all of these types of conventional protective cases offer users some protection from scratches and damages to mobile devices, they often require additional manufacturing steps such as an overmolding process to include other valuable features to the case. The process of overmolding, for example, typically requires two or more different materials in combination in order to fabricate and create a single part. Typically the first material, also called a substrate, is partially or fully covered by a second material (or overmold material) during the fabrication process. Next, the substrate portion is placed into an injection molding equipment at which point the overmold material is injected, fully covering and encasing the substrate (first material). Afterwards, the overmold material cures and solidifies over time, thereby forming a single part from the two separate materials. In addition to overmolding processes, conventional protective computer cases may require other types of fabrication steps such as riveting, adhering, or mechanically sewing other components to the protective case which requires a separate installation step. In turn, the time and manufacturing costs for adding such features generally increases resulting in lower profit margins to manufacture such products.

Therefore, it would be highly desirable to have a resilient protective case with enhanced features, requiring minimal fabrication techniques, and thereby reducing overall manufacturing costs.

SUMMARY

It is an advantage of the present disclosure to provide a protective phone case having a back support member, an outer frame member disposed along an outer portion of the back support member, a card holder formed along a portion of the back support member, and a finger strap coupling a first end portion of the card holder to a second end portion of the card holder.

In one embodiment, the card holder may include two card slots through which one or more cards are inserted. In another embodiment, the card holder may include one or more slope members disposed along a perimeter of the card holder, where the one or more slope members forms a gap along the perimeter of the card holder. In another embodiment, the gap is configured to expose an edge portion of one or more cards inserted into the card holder in order to lift, pinch, and remove the one or more cards from the card holder. In yet another embodiment, the card holder may include card retaining segments by which one or more cards are supported and held in place.

In yet another aspect, the finger strap may include a first corrugated expansion member disposed along a first end portion of the finger strap and a second corrugated expansion member disposed along a second end portion of the finger strap. In still yet another aspect, the finger strap may include a curved strap section disposed along a mid-portion of the strap for receiving and supporting a finger of a user.

It is another advantage of the present disclosure to provide a method of inserting a card into the protective phone case, the method including, positioning the card above the card holder having a card retaining segments, with a planar side of the card facing the back support member and a leading edge of the card positioned towards the card slot, inserting the leading edge of the card underneath a first strap edge portion of the finger strap, pushing the leading edge of the card through a second strap edge portion of the finger strap, allowing the leading edge of the card to pass through a card slot of the card holder, beyond the second strap edge portion and, securing the card to the card holder with the card held and supported by the card retaining segments of the card holder.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent in light of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the disclosure and from the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B respectively illustrate a top perspective view and a bottom perspective view of a resilient protective phone case, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B respectively illustrate a top view and a bottom view of the card holder of the resilient protective phone case, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B respectively illustrate a front view and a back view of the resilient protective phone case, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B respectively illustrate a left-side view and a right-side view of the resilient protective phone case, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates the resilient protective phone case as held by the palm of a user, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a card held by the user at a first position relative to the protective phone case prior to insertion, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of the card held at a second position relative to the protective phone case during insertion, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of the card held at a third position relative to the protective phone case during insertion, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of the card held at a fourth position relative to the protective phone case during insertion, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 10A-FIG. 10B illustrates process flowcharts for inserting and removing the card into and from the resilient protective phone case, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of holding the resilient protective phone case while taking a selfie, according to an embodiment.

In the appended figures, one or more elements may have the same reference numeral in different figures indicating previously described.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B respectively illustrate a top perspective view and a bottom perspective view of a resilient protective phone case 100, according to an embodiment. The protective phone case 100 includes a unitary body 101 having a back support member 102 and an outer frame 103 disposed along an outer portion of the back support member 102 for encasing and protecting a mobile phone device (not shown). These mobile phone devices may include, but are not limited to smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), or other portable mobile phones having a lightweight and substantially thin profile design. At least a portion of the unitary body 101 is molded, contoured, and shaped to cooperatively fit and receive an outer shell of the mobile computer device in which it encases. For example, the unitary body 101 may be generally rectangular in shape, as shown in FIG. 1 , for receiving and protecting mobile phone devices having similar dimensions and shapes. In other examples, the unitary body 101 may molded into other shapes such as ovals, squares, triangles, or circular designs, for encasing and supporting mobile phone devices having corresponding outer case designs. The unitary body 101 can be fabricated by a plastic material such as thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) or thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) using an injection molding process. Advantageously, the molding process of the unitary body 101 can be carried out by a single piece mold set, without the need for any subsequent or overmold processing, to fabricate the unitary body, allowing reduced manufacturing cost and complexity and increased manufacturing efficiencies and throughput rates. Preferred materials for manufacturing the unitary body 101 may include thermoplastic materials such as, for example, Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE) and Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU). Both TPE and TPU compounds are known to offer excellent durability, flexibility, and elasticity. Also, both materials are typically ideal for use in extrusion, injection molding, and other plastics molding applications. In common applications, both material classes generally will not lose their structural integrity over time and can maintain their form and flexibility over many cycles of deformation and use. With excellent properties like flexibility, dimensional stability, and ease of manufacturability, both TPE and TPU are preferred plastic materials for fabricating many consumer products.

Referring once again to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, the back support member 102 of the unitary body 101 may also include a one-piece integrated finger strap 105 formed along a center portion of the back support member 102. In addition, the back support member 102 may have two card slots for receiving one or more fingers, including a first card slot 106 a and second card slot 106 b, which are disposed on each side of the finger strap 105. In addition, the strap 105 may have corrugated expansion members (105-1, 105-2) disposed along each end of the integrated finger strap 105 and a curved strap section 105-3 disposed along a mid-portion of the strap 105 for receiving and supporting a finger of the user. In operation, the strap 105 is designed to experience some degree of elastic deformation under stress (e.g., when one or more fingers are inserted into the strap 105 via the two card slots 106 a, 106 b), allowing the strap to return to its original state when stress is released (e.g., when the finger is removed from the strap 105). To reduce the stress on the strap 105 corrugated expansion members (105-1, 105-2) are formed along each end of the strap 105, allowing it to outwardly expand with minimal tensional forces to the strap 105, thereby reducing wear and tear, and increasing longevity to the strap. In addition, the curved strap section 105-3 may provide some stress relief to the strap 105 due its curvature and slightly raised body which generally conforms to the finger of the user when inserted therein. In one aspect, the finger strap 105 of the protective phone case 100 serves as an integrated harness against which a user's finger may rest, preventing them from accidently dropping their phone while in use. In another application, the finger strap 105 of the protective phone case 100 may serve as a “selfie” strap, providing the user an easy and convenient way to take a self-portrait photograph (i.e., selfie) while their smartphone attached to the case 100. In another implementation, a portion of the back support member 102 has an indentation forming a card holder 107 having multiple elements for receiving and retaining one or more cards such as credit cards, membership cards, driver's licenses, and the like. Advantageously, the card holder 107 is also disposed beneath the strap 105, providing additional support and retention to inserted cards when one or more fingers are inserted in the strap 105. In addition, a depressed area in the back support member 102, in one aspect, forms the card holder 107 with a fence surrounding the depressed area, corralling one or more cards inserted therein. In yet another implementation, the unitary body 101 of the protective phone case 100 may include a camera slot formed along an end portion of the back support member 102 providing an opening for a camera lens of the phone.

FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B respectively illustrate a top view and a bottom view of the card holder 107 of the resilient protective phone case 100, according to an embodiment. The card holder 107 includes several advantageous elements working together as a single unit which is configured to: 1) accommodate ease of card insertion into the case; 2) provide retaining members to secure the card to the phone case 100; and 3) provide a quick and easy removal of the card from the phone case 100. For example, elements that form the card holder 107 may include 1) the two card slots 106 a, 106 b through which one or more cards are inserted, 2) card retaining segments (107-1 a, 107-1 b) by which one or more cards are supported and held in place, and 3) one or more slope members (107-2 a, 107-2 b) by which the user may lift the one or more cards in order to remove it from the card holder 107 of the phone case 100. For example, the one or more slope members (107-2 a, 107-2 b) forms a ramp having one or more cutout regions or gaps (107-3 a, 107-3 b) disposed along a perimeter of the card holder and a portion of the card retaining segments (107-1 a, 107-1 b). When one or cards are inserted into the card slot, the one or more gaps allow the user to easily lift, pinch, and remove the card from the card holder 107.

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B respectively illustrate a front view and a back view of the resilient protective phone case 100, according to an embodiment. In another aspect, the phone case 100 may include but is not limited to a first set of ports (i.e., openings) disposed along an edge portion of the outer frame 103. The first set of ports having openings for a USB serial data/power cable 103-1, a microphone audio output 103-2, and stereo speaker output 103-3.

FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B respectively illustrate a left-side view and a right-side view of the resilient protective phone case 100, according to an embodiment. In yet another aspect, the phone case 100 may include but is not limited a second set of ports and raised tabs disposed along the left and right side portions of the outer frame 103. For example, a ring silent port 103-4 and a volume tab 103-5 may be disposed on the left side of the case 100, while a side button tab 103-6 may be disposed on the right side of the case 100. Additional ports 103-8 may be disposed along the outer frame 103 allowing a passage for other phone components (e.g., microphone or headphone jacks). In other implementations, the phone case 100 may be configured to accommodate and match other types of phone designs having elements (i.e., volume buttons, power ports, microphones, speakers, input jacks, front/rear cameras, and other phone accessories and components) disposed on the backside or outer frame portion of the case.

FIG. 5 illustrates the resilient protective phone case 100 as held by the palm of a user 10, according to an embodiment. The phone case 100. In application, the user 10 may access the card holder 107 when the back support member 102 of the phone case 100 is turned in an upright position with the front face resting on the palm of the user 10 as shown in FIG. 5 .

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a card 200 held by the user 10 at a first position relative to the protective phone case 100 prior to insertion, according to an embodiment. At the first position, the card 200 is placed above the card holder 107, with the planar side of the card facing the back support member 102 of the phone case 100 and a leading edge 200-1 of the card 200 positioned towards the card slot 106 b. The card holder 107 may hold and store any type of cards, including but not limited to credit cards, business cards, medical/insurance cards, and the like.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of the card 200 held by the user 10 at a second position relative to the protective phone case 100 during insertion, according to an embodiment. At the second position, the leading edge 200-1 of the card 200 is gently inserted underneath a first strap edge portion 105-4, causing the corrugated expansion members (105-1, 105-2) to expand and thereby allowing sufficient space through which the card 200 may pass.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of the card 200 held by the user 10 at a third position relative to the protective phone case 100 during insertion, according to an embodiment. At the third position, the leading edge 200-1 of the card 200 is slipped through a second strap edge portion 105-5, allowing the leading edge of the card 200 to pass through the card slot 106 b, and extending beyond the second strap edge portion 105-5.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of the card 200 held by the user 10 at a fourth position relative to the protective phone case 100 during insertion, according to an embodiment. At the fourth position, the card 200 is fully inserted underneath the strap 105 and secured to the phone case 100 with the leading edge 200-1 and a trailing edge 200-2 of the card 200 held and supported by card retaining segments (107-1 a, 107-1 b). In one aspect, the card holder 107 may be configured to receive and store one or more cards. In another aspect, the card holder 107 may be configured to store other objects such as but not limited to paper currency, paper notes, and receipts. In yet another aspect, the card holder 107 may be configured to store thin electronic devices such as memory cards (SD cards, microSD cards, and Ultra microSD cards) and electronic tags (RFID tags, GPS tags).

FIG. 10A-FIG. 10B illustrate process flowcharts for inserting and removing the card 200 into/from the resilient protective phone case 100, according to an embodiment. In one implementation, a method for inserting the card 200 into the resilient protective phone case 100 is provided in flowchart 300 of FIG. 10A. The method for inserting the card 200 includes:

-   -   1) Positioning the card 200 above the card holder 107, with the         planar side of the card facing the back support member 102 of         the phone case 100 and a leading edge 201-1 of the card 200         positioned towards the card slot 106 b; (STEP 301)     -   2) Inserting the leading edge 201-1 of the card 200 underneath a         first strap edge portion 105-4; (STEP 302)     -   3) Pushing the leading edge of the card 200 through a second         strap edge portion 105-5, allowing the leading edge of the card         200 to pass through the card slot 106 b, beyond the second strap         edge portion 105-5; (STEP 303) and,     -   4) Securing the card 200 to the card holder 107 with the leading         edge 200-1 and a trailing edge 200-2 of the card 200 held and         supported by card retaining segments (107-1 a, 107-1 b). (STEP         304)

In another implementation, a method for removing the card 200 from the resilient protective phone case 100 is provided in flowchart 320 of FIG. 10B. The method for removing the card 200 includes:

-   -   1) With the card 200 fully inserted into the card holder member         107, grasping an exposed edge of the card 200 along a gap (107-3         a or 107-3 b) formed on one end of the slope member (107-2 a or         107-2 b); (STEP 321)     -   2) While grasping the exposed edge of the card 200, slightly         lifting the card 200 away from the card retaining segment (107-1         a or 107-1 b); (STEP 322) and,     -   3) While grasping the exposed edge of the card 200, pulling a         leading or trailing edge of the card 200 away from the strap 105         of the phone case 100 to completely remove the card 200 from the         case 100. (STEP 323)

FIG. 11 illustrates example of holding the resilient protective phone case 100 by the user 10 while taking a selfie, according to an embodiment. In addition to serving as a phone carrying support member and card restrainer, the strap 105 may also serve as a selfie harness for stabilizing the phone case 100 with a mobile phone encased therein while taking selfies. For example, the user 10 may insert their finger through the curved strap section 105-3 of the strap 105 pressing their fingers against the backside of the case 100 for stabilization, and then turn the front-side camera of the mobile phone facing the user 10 to take front-side photos of themselves (i.e., selfies), as shown in FIG. 11 . The curved strap section 105-3 may provide ease of finger insertion while also providing some stress relief to the strap 105 due its curvature and slightly raised body which generally conforms to the finger of the user 10 when inserted therein.

Although the protective phone case 100 is structured as a unitary body 101, the protective phone case 100 is not limited to the unitary body. For example, the finger strap 105 may be separately attached to the back support member 102 via fasteners such as but not limited to adhesive tapes, glues, threading, rivets, and so on.

As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” included plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

All patents, patent applications, and other references cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entireties.

It is noted that the foregoing disclosure has been provided merely for the purpose of explanation and is in no way to be construed as limiting of the present disclosure. Although the present disclosure has been shown and described with respect to several preferred embodiments thereof, various changes, omissions, and additions to the form and detail thereof, may be made therein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. It is understood that the words which have been used herein are words of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation. Changes may be made, within the purview of the appended claims, as presently stated and as amended, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure in its aspects.

Other embodiments and modifications of the present disclosure may occur to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of these teachings. Accordingly, the disclosure is to be limited only by the following claims which include all other such embodiments and modifications when viewed in conjunction with the above specifications and accompanying drawings. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A protective phone case, comprising: a back support member; an outer frame member disposed along an outer portion of the back support member; a card holder formed along a portion of the back support member; and a finger strap coupling a first end portion of the card holder to a second end portion of the card holder.
 2. The protective phone case of claim 1, wherein the back support member, the outer frame member, the card holder, and the finger strap are part of a unitary body of the protective phone case.
 3. The protective phone case of claim 1, wherein the card holder includes two card slots through which one or more cards are inserted.
 4. The protective phone case of claim 1, wherein the card holder includes one or more slope members disposed along a perimeter of the card holder, wherein the one or more slope members forms a gap along the perimeter of the card holder.
 5. The protective phone case of claim 4, wherein the gap is configured to expose an edge portion of one or more cards inserted into the card holder in order to lift, pinch, and remove the one or more cards from the card holder.
 6. The protective phone case of claim 1, wherein the card holder includes card retaining segments by which one or more cards are supported and held in place.
 7. The protective phone case of claim 1, wherein the finger strap includes a first corrugated expansion member disposed along a first end portion of the finger strap and a second corrugated expansion member disposed along a second end portion of the finger strap.
 8. The protective phone case of claim 1, wherein the finger strap includes a curved strap section disposed along a mid-portion of the finger strap for receiving and supporting a finger of a user.
 9. A method of inserting a card into a protective phone case comprising: a back support member, an outer frame member disposed along an outer portion of the back support member, a card holder formed along a portion of the back support, and a finger strap coupling a first end portion of the card holder to a second end portion of the card holder, the method comprising: positioning the card above card retaining segments of the card holder, with a planar side of the card facing the back support member and a leading edge of the card positioned towards the card slot; inserting the leading edge of the card underneath a first strap edge portion of the finger strap; pushing the leading edge of the card through a second strap edge portion of the finger strap, allowing the leading edge of the card to pass through a card slot of the card holder, beyond the second strap edge portion; and, securing the card to the card holder with the card held and supported by the card retaining segments of the card holder and the finger strap.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the back support member, the outer frame member, the card holder, and the finger strap are part of a unitary body of the protective phone case.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the card holder includes two card slots through which one or more cards are inserted.
 12. The method of claim 9, wherein the card holder includes one or more slope members disposed along a perimeter of the card holder, wherein the one or more slope members forms a gap along the perimeter of the card holder.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the gap is configured to expose an edge portion of one or more cards inserted into the card holder in order to lift, pinch, and remove the one or more cards from the card holder.
 14. The method of claim 9, wherein the finger strap includes a first corrugated expansion member disposed along a first end portion of the finger strap and a second corrugated expansion member disposed along a second end portion of the finger strap.
 15. The method of claim 9, wherein the finger strap includes a curved strap section disposed along a mid-portion of the finger strap for receiving and supporting a finger of a user. 